Joe Manganiello Abruptly Exits History's Navy SEAL Drama SIX

Joe Manganiello has dropped out of his starring role in SIX, History channel’s eight-episode Navy SEAL drama, TVLine has confirmed. Manganiello’s departure has brought production to a standstill as producers scramble to recast his role.

According to Variety, the True Blood vet exited the project due to a “manageable” preexisting health issue.

SIX focuses on an elite team of Navy SEALs whose 2014 mission to eliminate a Taliban leader in Afghanistan goes awry when they uncover a U.S. citizen working with the terrorists. Manganiello was set to star as Rip Taggart, a gruff, haggard, and aggressive military man who was once the squad leader of Seal Team Six. Five years later, Rip is working in Africa, protecting a small village from Boko Haram.

SIX, from Academy Award-nominated screenwriter William Broyles Jr. (Apollo 13) and military special ops veteran David Broyles, is inspired by current events and will aim to capture “what these SEALs do, their complex personal lives, and the life and death decisions they make.”

The cast also includes Barry Sloane (Revenge) and Edwin Hodge (Chicago Fire).